Enough with the jet-set celebrities, here are some planes that are really unique.

In the history of aviation, there have been many attempts to make it fly faster, fly higher, and be more efficient while doing it. Some of the greatest planes started out as being “unusual.” The SR-71 Blackbird looked like no other plane when first introduced. The Mach 3+ aircraft was used as a reconnaissance plane because it could fly higher than any fighter and faster than surface-to-air missiles. By the way, the engines that can carry a plane this size, that fast and that far? They’re Pratt & Whitney, of course.

Did you ever have one of those foam toy airplanes that looked pretty good and flew?

Well, take two of those, take the tail off of one and the nose off the other, glue them together so you have a nose and tail with two sets of wings, then run it over with your bike a couple of times and it will resemble the last of our unique planes worth mentioning. The Proteus was designed by Burt Rutan, president of Scaled Composites LLC, based in Mojave, Calif. This very unusual looking aircraft is intended for very high flight (59,000 to 65,000 feet) at up to 18 hours a flight. Designed to be a telecommunications relay platform, other uses are seen as use for scientific atmospheric study, launching small satellites and earth monitoring. Designed to be usable from many airports with little support, it can be flown by two pilots or remotely.

Going faster, further and longer is the dream of many airplane designers.

It is little wonder that many of them begin with a Pratt & Whitney power-plant. Pratt & Whitney is the most dependable engine in the world, with some models that can perform for up to 8000 hours before required overhaul. That is like driving a car engine more than a half a million miles. At Covington Aircraft, we specialize in the PT6A turbine and R-985 and R-1340 radial engines for corporate, commercial, and agricultural aircraft. We are also a Pratt & Whitney Canada authorized Distributor and Designated Overhaul Facility. We carry a complete line of engine parts and strive to give you the fasted turnaround at a competitive price. Committed to Integrity, Dependability, Affordability, and Quality Service, Covington Aircraft has been keeping planes flying since 1972 and is a full-service, world-class facility.

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There are some great planes out there, such as the War Birds flown by Clyde Zellers, but these planes truly take the cake! This is the first post of two on some of the most unique planes on the planet! Enjoy, and let us know if you have found some crazy planes by leaving a photo on our Facebook page!

When it comes to unique planes, some things aren’t practical and some things are impossible.

There has been a rumor about a plane owned by someone so wealthy that there was a swimming pool onboard. Sadly, research has turned up no mention of such a plane. While it does spark the imagination, one has to consider logistics of such a feature. The pool would have to remain empty until level, steady flight could be established, and there could be no maneuvering of the plane during use. If the plane experienced turbulence, the pool would have to be drained fast lest imbalance and shifting momentum create a fatal incident. Furthermore, just the weight of any size pool would be enormous (water = 8 pounds per gallon). A large bathtub may be more likely, but a pool sounds as practical in a large jet aircraft as a retractable sunroof. There are, however, planes out there with some incredible features.

Celebrity owned aircraft.

Lumping celebrities with billionaires only seems fair. If one has a billion dollars, it is hard to stay hidden for long, and people are bound to watch what you do. The following is a short list of billionaire and celebrity owned aircraft and their special features.

Donald Trump’s $100 million jet with a reported $120 million in features.

What, “The Donald” has to fly in a 43-year old Boeing 727? It’s fired! Donald’s new, 757 has been sighted landing at LaGuardia Airport. The 727 has been placed on the market for $8 million, but has not drawn any offers as of yet. Mr. Trump purchased the 757 from fellow billionaire and co-founder of Microsoft, Paul Allen. There are conflicting stories about how much of Mr. Allen’s interior remains, if any. It is known that the jet spent a few months at a Georgia location before showing up at LaGuardia. It has been reported that the jet features large leather swivel seating, a bedroom with two closets, a bathroom with gold sinks and fixtures, and a circular shower, flat-screen televisions and gold leaf plated seatbelt buckles. A hard-to-miss feature is the Trump name on the sides of the plane done in 23 carat gold.

The Caribbean Cowboy’s love for airplanes and boats is legendary.

Jimmy Buffett loves his planes and boats, so it is no wonder that he enjoys combining the two as an avid fan of seaplanes. He currently owns four planes, a 1992 Dassault-Breguet Mystere Falcon 900, a 1998 Cessna Caravan 208 with floats attached, a 1941 Boeing E75 Stearman biplane, and a 1954 Grumman HU-16 named the Hemisphere Dancer. The Grumman is the subject of his song, “Jamaica Mistaica,” which he wrote in honor of the Jamaican government who mistook his plane for that of a drug runner and began shooting at it while it was taxiing. His passengers, Island Records producer Chris Blackwell, co-pilot Bill Dindy, U-2’s Bono, and Bono’s wife and children were unhurt, as was Jimmy. The plane escaped with only a few new air inlet ports.

One cannot talk about planes and celebrities without mentioning John Travolta.

The planes belonging to John Travolta may not have all the intricate attention to lavish detail that some of the others have, but that isn’t what anyone talks about when his planes are mentioned. What they talk about is where he keeps his planes. John can wake up at home in the morning, have his breakfast, kiss the wife and kids, walk out to the hanger, climb in the cockpit and travel to his work destination. While this may be true for some lucky others, there are few for whom it is a Boeing 707-100 and a vintage Gulfstream G-2. By the way, if you look up pictures of his house, the control tower over the dining room is reported as being a mock-up.